High-splice attachment for circular-knitting machines



July 22, 1930. El E. PAQUETTE 1,771,344

mm SPLICE ATTAcfiMEN'r FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 16, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. EXlLlAS E. PAQUETTE by his aiiornqya July 22, 1930. E. E. PAQUETTE HIGH SPLICE ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Eeb. 16, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. v ILIAS E. PAQUETTE by his aiiorn 936' Jqly22,1930. E. E. PAQUETTE 7 HIGH SPLICE ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 16. 1928 s Sheets-Sheet a Z3 INVEN TOR EXILIAS E .FAQ UETTE by his allorneya Patented July 22, 1930 *UNITEDSTATES PATENT oFF- cr. s

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WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, or new YonK, is. 'Y., a oonronarrolv or MASSACHU- nren srmon ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES Application filed February 16, 1928i Ser1a1' 1lio. 254',783.

"This invention relates to an attachment for circularknitting machines adapted to I make splicing reinforcementsof irregular contour and more particularly high spl1ce reinforce-- ments above the heel at the back of the stocking in which the edges of the splicing are stepped. One object of the invention is to produce an attachment which can decrease or' increase thewidth of the splicing'at will so as to produce aseries of irregular steps. Another object of the invention is to produce an attachment in which the stepped design can be: changed simply and easily; and still another object of the invention is to produce an attachment which canbe put on the modern seam-less "hosiery machine without interfering with other attachmentscustomarily, found on such machines. 7 r

In the drawings and description the invention will be shown and described applied to the well known Scott & Williams type of seamless hosiery machine 1 with revolving needle cylinder but it should be understood that the invention is applicable to any type of seamless hosiery machine.

This attachment is of the type of splicing device in which the splicing is made by intermittently raising and lowering a splicing yarn finger and varying the portion orportions of each course in which that splicing yarn finger is in feeding position by means i of cams. The attachment is adapted to produce stepped designs by means of a series of drum cams ofdilterent lengths adapted to be put into operative relationpwith the splicing yarn finger successively orin any other order. The drumcarrying these cams is revolved continuously. By means ofa series of cams ofdiflierent heightstheyarn finger connece tion is moved back and forth over the drum carrying the series of stepped cams.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a seamless ho siery machine showing the new attachment; Fig.2 is a side elevation on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through one end of the main pattern drum;

Fig. 4 is a development of the cams on the end of the main pattern drum;

Fig. MS a development of another arrangement of cams on the endof the main pattern drum Y t Fig. 6 isa view of the foot of a stocking showing the stepped design produced by using the cams shown Fig. l; While Fig. 7 is aview of a foot of a stocking showing the design produced by the cam layout shown in Fig. 5.

The machine has the usual needle cylinmain pattern drum is racked around atirm regular intervals throughout the making of the stocking by any usual mechanism, such for instance as is shown'in thepatent to Robert W. Scott Number 1,152,850 granted September 7, 1915. Theneedle cylinder is adapted toreciprocate or rotate, the reciprocatingmovement being obtained from a segment gear by means of a train of gears includ ing a constantly revolving gear 60 and a pitman70. M

The yarn changing "yarn finger carrying the splicing yarn to manufacture the spliced area of irregular steps is lowered and raised into and out ofoperative relation with the needlesby. a series of stepped drum cams 111, 112, 113, 1141, 115 carried by acontinuously revolving drum 10.. This drum 10 is fixed on a horizontalsha'ft 12v at the back of the machine carried by the brackets 13 and 18 bolted to the table C and the bedplate B respectively. This'sh-aft 12 carries a pinion 14 meshing with the continuously revolving segment driving gear 60, (Fig. 1) and it will therefore be obvious that the drum 10 is revolving continuously in timed relation with the needle cylinder 260, as explained in the above mentioned patent to Robert-l VScott 1,152,850. In the machine shown in the drawings, the pinion 14 is of such a size that the drum 10 not only revolves in timed relation with the needle cylinder, but revolves in unison therewith and the yarn fingerF can there fore be thrown into and out of action for any desired portion or portions of each course. The selections of these drum camsare transmitted to the yarn'finger F by a reading cam finger 17 slidably mounted on a stub shaft 16 and pivotally connected to the rear end of the yarnfinger by a link 15. This link 15 is connected to the yarn finger and to the read ing cam finger with sufiicient looseness to permitmovement of the cam finger longitudinally of the drum 1O withoutstraining the connections. When the cam finger rides up on to one of the cams 111, 112, etc. the yarn finger is lifted out of action, but it will be obvious that the connections can be so-arrangedas to cause the yarn'finger to be lowered into action when the camfinger rides up onto one of the cams.

For the purpose of moving the splicing drum lever over the surface of the 'drum in order that it may engage the various stepped cams in any desired order, the lever is connected to a cam'ring 23 riveted on the outer face of a ratchet wheel 24 revolubly mounted on the end of the shaft 76 carrying the main pattern drum 120. The cams onthis ring are of different heights and by meansof the connections now to be described are adapted to move the reading cam finger from operative relation with one drum cam on the drum 10 to another, inany desired order. In Fig. 4 a development of the cam ring producing the regular stepped design, such as shown inFig.

6, is shown, he arrow indicating the direc-- tion of movement of the cams. The heights 1, 2, 3, -4 correspond to steps shown in Fig. 6. Fig.- 5 is a development of a cam ring, the height of whose cams 5, 6, 7 8, 9 are varied in 'such a manner as to produce theirregular designshown in Fig. 7. It will be obvious that any desired stepped designcan be produced and that there can be more than one cam in a single cam race on the drum 10.

To transmit the indications of the cam ring 23 to the reading cam finger 17 an operating lever 20 is provided pivoted at 21 to the lower end of the bracket 18. This operating lever has a toe 27 lying in the path of the cam ring 23 and the upper end of the operating leveris linked to the collar of the reading cam finger 17 by means of a link 19. The toe 27 of the operating lever is kept in engagement with the surfaces of the cam ring 23 by means of a coiled spring 28 mounted on the bracket 18, and the operating lever could, if desired, be held from moving too far in response to pressure from this spring by means of a stop 26 on the bracket 18. V

I prefer to provide opportunity for changing the width of the spliced area or areas about every fourth course and I therefore provide mechanism adapted to rack the cam ring 23 at every fourth revolution of the .means can be employed to hold the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel 24 to which the cam'ring 23 is bolted is prevented from undesired rotation by the pressure of a fiat spring 61 on the end of the main pattern drum shaft 7 6. As already mentioned; the segment gear is reciprocating continuously and since a high splicing is desired'on only a part of the stock ing, it is necessary to provide means which will stop the movement of the reading cam finger 1 7. I do this by means ofan idling position or uncut tooth 32 on the periphery of the ratchet wheel 24 which prevents the pawl from turning the ratchet wheel. While the pawl is idling over this uncut tooth 32 the splicing yarn finger F can, if desired, be held up out of action by the usual thrust rod 460.

To bring the high splicing attachment into action a lug 33 is provided onthe-inside of the main pattern drum 120 so located as to engage a pivoted lever 34 carried by the ratchet wheel 24 just at the moment the high splicing isto begin. This pivoted lever when engaged by the lug 33 engages'against the pin 35 on the ratchet wheel and turns the ratchet Having described the construction of my novel attachment its operation will now be set forth. Assuming that the stocking is being knit from top to toe, the machine will be operated in the usual manner up to the point at which it is desired to begin the high splice. Up to this timethe splicing yarn finger F has been held out of operative position by its thrust rod 460 and the pawl 30 has been idling on the uncut tooth 32. When the high'splice is reached the main pattern drum 120 will be racked around, dropping the thrust rod 460 and causing the splicing yarn finger F to come under the control of the reading cam finger 17 and the stepped cams 111, 112, etc. Simultaneously the lug 33 on the main pattern drum 120 acting on the pivoted lever 34 turns the ratchet wheel far enough to permit the pawl 30 to begin to rack the ratchet wheel 34 and the stocking will begin to be knit with a spliced area or areas in each course, according to the arrangement of the drum cams on the drum 10. These areas will be changed in stepped relation as the cam ring 23 is racked around, the operating lever 20 pivoting on its point 21 and moving its reading cam finger 17 back and fourth 1n accordance with the desired 1 sequence in which it isdesired to use the drum cams. It will be obvious that the stepped design can be increased or decreased as desired in any desired form. 7

When the high splicing has been finished the ratchet wheel as will have been racked drum, a continuously revolving drum having a stepped series of cams, a cam finger adapted to be moved longitudinally of said drum and p on to raise and lower said yarn finger in response to the selected one of said drum cams, in combination with movable cam means causing the movement of said cam finger longitudinally of said drum in both directions, a pawl actuated'by said quadrant, a ratchet wheel actuated by said pawl formoving said cam means, said ratchet having an idling space thereon, and means moving with said pattern drum and adapted to shift said ratchet past said idling space.

2. A circular knitting machine having a yarn-changing yarn finger, a needle cylinder, an oscillating quadrant adapted to cause reciprocation of said needle cylinder, a stepped series of cams, a continuously revolving drum and a cam finger adapted to slide longitudinally of said drum to raise and lower said yarn finger in response to said drum cams, a

"needle cylinder revolving in timed relation with said drum cam, and a pattern drum intermittently racked by said quadrant and adapted to throw said yarn-changing yarn finger into and out of action, in combination with a ring of cams of different heights adapted to move said cam finger longitudinally of said drum, a ratchet wheel carrying said ring of cams and having idling space thereon, a pawl actuated by said quadrant adapted to rack said ratchet wheel and pivoting means operated by said intermittently racked pattern drum to rack said pattern wheel past said idling position, substantially as described. v

3. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and yarn fingers including a splicing yarn finger, a cam drum rotating in unison with the needle cylinder and adapted to control the feeding period of said splicing yarn finger per course, a main pattern drum mounted on a shaft, a ratchet mounted on said shaft to turn independently of said pattern drum and having an idling space among its teeth, a cam turned by said ratchet and adapted to eifect a variation, in different courses, of the efi'ect of said cam drum on said splicing yarn finger, pawl means for moving said ratchet and means operated by said pattern drum for advancing said ratchet from its idle position. V p a 4., In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder and yarn fingers including a splicing yarn finger, a cam drum rotating in uni son with the needle cylinder and adapt ed'to control the feeding period of said splic- 111g yarn finger per course, a main pattern drummounted on a shaft, a ratchet mounted on said shaft to turnindependently of said pattern drum and having an idling space among its teeth, a cam turned by said ratchet and adapted toeflt'ect a variation, in different courses, of the effect of said cam drum on said splicing yarn finger, pawl means for moving said ratchet, a lug on the inner side of said pattern drum and means actuated thereby for advancing said ratchet'from its idle position. I V

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. f I

EXILIAS E; PAQUETTE. 

